Benesiinaabandan

SCOTT BENESIINAABANDAN
chisel4@gmail.com
www.benesiinaabandan.com
cell.1-204-802-1199
90 Wolesely Street, Toronto ON M5T 1A3
93 Granville Street, Winnipeg MB R2W 3L3

Bio
Scott Benesiinaabandan is an Anishinabe artist based in Winnipeg who works in photography,
printmaking and video, among other media. Scott has recently completed an international
residency at Context Gallery in Derry, North of Ireland (2010) and in Oklahoma with
photographer Rita Leistner (2009). In the past four years, Benesiinaabandan has been awarded
grants from the Manitoba Arts Council and the Winnipeg Arts Council for his artistic work.
Benesiinaabandan has taken part in several group exhibitions across Canada and in the United
States, most notably in Subconscious City at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2008, Harbourfont’s
Flatter the Land/Bigger the Ruckus in 2006 and recently presented his first solo exhibition,
unSacred, at Gallery 1C03 this past January. He is currently preparing to do an arts project with
the Roma/Traveller community in Europe in June.

STATEMENT of ARTISTIC PRACTICE
My most recent work has been centered on cultural crisis/conflict and its political machinations.
More broadly it seeks to addresses a search for identity and a continuing creation of my own personal cosmology. The impact of relationships and familial/communal ties, non-conventional ways of knowing (ei. dreaming, intuition, blood memory), underlying threats and danger inherent in searching for personal truth. I am always working on multiple projects and constantly seeking out new ways to more accurately reflect my realities thru exploration of new medias and production techniques. My primary media is the digital image but do make use of audio/video, drawing and screen-printing.

EXHIBITIONS
Upcoming: Manitoba Museum/TBD (mistatim/grai) roma/anishinabe/irish/british/mohawk/. Winnipeg, June/July 2011
Upcoming: La Maison Rouge. Imagetaker /Preneurd’images Collective. Paris, June, 2011
Upcoming: Context Gallery.Light Box Commission.Derry, North of Ireland. Spring/Summer, 2011
Upcoming: Martha Street Studio, solo exhibition. Winnipeg, 2011
A.R.T Post a February art show. group exibition February,2011
G1C03. unSacred. solo exhibition. January 20-February 26, 2011
Martha Street Studios:Yellowbird. folio launch May,2010
Buhler Gallery. Mapping. group exhibition.February,2010.
North Dakota Museum of Contemporary Art. auction. North Dakota,November,2009/2010
WPG Film Group Spider Pig.Best of WNDX-Super 8.Winnipeg, 2009
INAC.Living Conditions in First Nations Communties.group exhibition. Ottawa, 2009
CSIF 16th Annual  $100 Film Festival, Spider Pig. Edmonton, 2008
The Winnipeg Art Gallery, Subconscious City, group exhibition Winnipeg, 2008
Spiderpig Online Exhibition Stormspirits.ca 2008
Martha Street Studio, when they came. group exhibition. Winnipeg, 2007
Harbourfront Centre, Flatter the Land, Bigger the Ruckus. group exhibition. Toronto, 2006
Urban Shaman Faces Project. (collaborative project w/Water & Light), Winnipeg, 2006
imagineNative Festival. Reflections. Toronto, 2005

Grants & Awards
Manitoba Arts Council Creative Development 2011
Manitoba Arts Council Creative Development 2010
Winnipeg Arts Council “B” grant 2009
Winnipeg Arts Council Professional Development 2009
INAC- Living Conditions in First Nations Communities Project(National)- 2008
Manitoba Arts Council: Creative Development 2008
Manitoba Arts Council: Creative Development 2006
Destination Winnipeg, 2006

Collections
Manitoba Provincial Art Bank,Winnipeg Foundation, Manitoba Hydro, private collections

Reviews
Winnipeg Free Press February 10,2011 ( on unSacred)
Uniter ( on unSacred) January 19, 2011
Uptown (on unSacred) February 25, 2011
Winnipeg Free Press (on Flatter the Land,Bigger the Ruckus) June 2006

Publications
unSacred.G1C03, 2011.
Subconcious City. Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2008
Flatter the Land, Bigger the Ruckus.Urban Shaman,2006.

Boards/Committee/Volunteer work
Juries for:Manitoba Arts Council, Winnipeg Arts Counil, Video Pool, Platform, Urban Shaman, imagineNative Film Festival, Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival
Platform Gallery Outreach and Darkroom Committee 2006-07
Mamawichi Itata Centre 2001-2008
Ndinawe Maaganag Endaawaad (Safehome) 1995-2006
Children’s Legacy Foundation 2000-2005
Neechis Without Borders 2001-present

Education
Residency with Context Gallery.Derry, North of Ireland
Mentorship/New Works Creations with Martha Street Studios and Patrick Neufield.2008-2009
Mentorship/professional development with Rita Leistner in Oklahoma.2009
University of Winnipeg Bachelors of Psychology & World Religions.Honours.2002
Martha Street Studios Aboriginal Printmakers Workshops (w/ Lynne Allen) 2006-07
Darkroom in a Day : Platform Gallery 2007
Aboriginal Film Training Program  2005-06